Turn Your Storms Into Momentum
Life has a way of throwing surprises to someone when they are not expecting them, and some of these may come as storms of life, challenges, disappointments, betrayals, struggles, etc. At these points, a lot of people may feel the impulse to give up and allow the storms of life to toss them around until they are submerged by it. But those who succeed and those have made it through are those who resolved within themselves to keep rowing even when the storms are beating against them. The truth is that you cannot stop the storms and the waves of life from arising, but you can choose to keep rowing and to direct your sail to your advantage. To emerge as an overcomer in the challenges of life, you have to learn to turn adversity into positive energy, and storms into momentum. That is, use your situation as a motivating factor to keep you going.
The storms of life do not come to break you, rather they give you the opportunity to be made. As a soldier for example, you will become decorated as a General when you have been involved in various active combats. The combats, to others, might look like they came to break them, but to the soldier who already knows where he is going to, it is a pathway to destiny. In the same way, a sailor will be tested when he has successfully navigated through the boisterous waters. As a students, you will not be gifted with your certificate until you have sat and passed the required examination. This is also how life's challenges are too - they provide you with the opportunities to achieve success.
More often than not, when challenges strike, the natural human response might be to fear, panic, be angry, or retreat. But growth actually happens when you shift your mindset from these natural human responses and ask yourself how the situation will be used as a stepping-stone to where you are going to. There was a friend of mine who got dismissed from his office during the covid lockdown time because the company was not able to pay their salaries. Instead of sulking over the setback, he started a business of selling essential health tools - nose mask, hand gloves, sanitizers, etc. The business boomed that period that he made over 10 times what he was paid in his office. You see, he turned what was supposed to be a setback into an opportunity to make progress.
Momentum is not developed by sailing on smooth waters, but by facing real life challenges. As a sailor, when you row on a calm water, you will think that life is easy and you may not even develop the sailing skills that is required of you. But when you are introduced to the rough waters, you will know what you are capable of. True power is not forged in your comfort zone but when you step out to face real challenges. As tough times come, it is the choice that you make in those times that will make you who you are. You have to know that the same heat that purifies the gold is what burns off chaffs. So you have to develop yourself to face challenges.
As you grow, you will stop wishing for storms not to come, rather you will learn how to row in them. Any student that wants to graduate with good grades will not wish for exam not to come, rather they will study and prepare to sit for the exam. You cannot grow in life by avoiding challenges, rather by leveraging on them as stepping-stone. This is why you have to build yourself and stay ready to face what life will throw at you. A lot of people do not drown under the storm because the storm was too strong, but because they are not prepared to row in it. In life, even though you are hoping for the best to happen to you, you should also develop capacity to face the worse.
To face the storms of life, you have to live ready. Build your mental capacity - gather more knowledge, acquire more skills, learn more. Then also build yourself physically too. Then very importantly, you have to be mindful of your company. Stay with the people who will help you to build yourself and become a better version of yourself. Always have in mind that you are not to wait until the day of challenge before you build yourself, but you have to keep building even when there is no challenge in sight, so that it will not take you by surprise or overwhelm you.
Thanks for reading
